Left dorsal displacement of the colon with splenic adhesions in three horses.

The study examines three cases of horses presenting acute abdominal pain, which resulted in each of them undergoing exploratory surgery (celiotomy). The horses were diagnosed with abnormal displacement of their large colon to the left, involved with separate adhesions from the spleen to the body wall. The issue was more complicated as all the horses had previously undergone abdominal surgery for another digestive disorder – colic. The findings indicate that the conventional approach used in such cases — the rolling technique — might be ineffective due to the spleen being attached to the body wall.

Study Background and Purpose

• The research was conducted on three horses that showed symptoms of severe abdominal pain, prompting the need for an exploratory celiotomy — a surgical procedure to examine the abdominal cavity.
• The objective was to diagnose and understand any unusual occurrences within the abdominal area that might have been causing the pain.

Research Findings

• During surgery, all three horses were diagnosed with the same condition, referred to as ‘left dorsal displacement of the large colon’. This means the large colon of the horses had abnormally moved to the left.
• Complications were further identified in the surgeries due to the presence of fibrous adhesions — where the spleen was found attached to the body wall.

Previous Medical History

• All horses that were part of this research had undergone abdominal surgery for colic, a severe, often fluctuating pain in the abdomen that is caused by the spasmodic contraction or the obstruction of some part of the alimentary canal.
• This raised questions whether the surgeries somehow contributed to the present patterns of displacement and adhesion observed.

Implications of the Findings

• Based on the unusual direction of displacement of the large colon and the existence of the spleen’s adhesion to the body wall, it seemed likely that the commonly-implemented rolling technique would not be a viable solution.
• The rolling technique is a standard method of rectifying a displaced colon in horses. However, adhesions between the spleen and body wall, as reported in these cases, could prevent this method from being successful.